Migraine Headaches

I have had migraines since childhood. Imitrex was great, but does not seem to work now. I would get a prescription from the doctor to keep just in case. Most regular doctors automatically prescribe Imitrex. I think it was the first triptan medication available. I have found that taking either Zomig or Amerge with three advil help mine a lot. You can also drink a coke with caffeine in it quickly. This may help some. The prescription helps with the migraine and the advil helps with the pain of it. Also, I take birth control pills without the placebo. This helps regulate migraines brought on by your period (change in hormones).
Good Luck!
E.
Good Luck

I do & they can last 1-5 days, at the worst! I usually get a huge knot on the back of my neck & the pain throbs on one side of my head (usually right), over my brow bone & through my scalp. I used to get bad sinus headaches on occaision, but these nasty buggers started coming on after the birth of my 2nd & I now miss my sinus headaches.

My dr. put me on a really low dose (12.5 mg) of Elavil (amitriptyline) & it seems to keep them at bay for the most part. If I feel one come on, I make sure to lie down & ice my neck where the knot starts & I take a full 25 mg. of the Elavil(many people do better w/ heat- heat just makes mine worse!!). I also have a muscle relaxer (Skelaxin) a super dose of Naporoxen, that I use when they progress too far. I have also have a great & gentle chiropractor (Cindy Haggerton in Hurst) that helps much- esp. when I go regularly!

I don't envy you, but I do feel your pain!

Good luck!
D.

PS- Excedrin Migraine makes me a mess- too much caffeine, it's like taking No-Doz. It doesn't help w/ my head & my hand & body feel like Jello!

K.,
I used to get migraine monthly and got some relief from immitrex; but that kinda made me feel doopy, so I stopped. Seemed like with every onset of a menstrual cycle when your estrogen drops, that seems to trigger it as well. I have had some pretty bad one's like you -- where I have had to lay in a dark room, put a rag over my head, and often times have felt like I was about to throw up too. I read an article once that said to take 250mg of magnesium daily and that would help to diminish your reoccurance of such. It truly has worked for me - I rely upon that more heavily now, than the immitrex. Hope you finds some relief soon enough - they are nothing to take lightly - and you might wish to talk to your gp soon, I am sure that there are more current remedies on the market now, that might even work better...But I do highly encourage taking the magnesium daily -- it supposed to help you sleep better too.
K.

Sorry about the migraines! Why don't you phone the doctor's office to report your situation and see if you should have an MRI and get a referral to see a neurologist since this headache is different than your regular migraines. Make notes about this headache b/c the neurologist won't have immediate appts. Good Luck!

Hi K.,

First, tell your doctor that Imitrex is not working. (It didn't do me any good either.) For some over-the-counter relief, I've found Excedrine Migraine to be helpful. (This came recommended by a pharmacist.) Also, for a non-narcotic prescription, Amerge isn't too bad, but I found I was paying $10 a pill on my medical plan. Finally, after a year of frustration with my doctor, I told her I wanted what used to work for me years ago, which was fiorinal. It is narcotic though, so your doctor may be hesitant to prescribe it, but I've found that as long as I am just at home (not driving, etc.)that it's fine.

Peppermint oil on the temples also helps. Good luck.

Best,
L.

I'm not sure if you are still having problems with migraines, but I would talk to a neurologist and make sure that there is nothing else wrong. They'll check for brain structure abnormalities and, God forbid, tumors. My tests all came back great so I was put on a special diet. There were many foods that I was eating regularly that are known migraine triggers (Yogurt, yeast products, aged cheeses, chocolate, caffeine, pork, lunch meats...I have a whole list if you need it). Imitrex did nothing for me, but have found Relpax to work wonders once a migraine does hit. I also ice my head. Daily I have tried Topomax, a drug commonly used to treat epilepsy. It worked but caused me to lose a lot of weight. I lost about a pound a week without trying. Now I take Keppra, which is weight neutral. I still get migraines though, and was told by my doctor that the changes in weather pressure cause them too and our weather has been crazy this winter! You may also want to try drinking herbal camomile tea (Yogi brand is great!) to help relieve stress, which is known to cause many headaches! And being a SAHM of a toddler can be very stressful!! Good luck!

I lived with those headaches from age 14 to age 42. They were quite debilitating and initially were the classic just as you describe. More recently, I have experienced the type you mention and what has helped me most is Magnesium and vitamin B2. I take 500 mg of Magnesium twice a day and then an additional dose at nite using a product similar to "Natural Calm" that you can find at health food stores. Many Americans are deficient in magnesium and magnesium helps your muscles to relax (I also had lots of severe muscle cramps at nite). It sounds quite simple, but it has worked wonders. I also recently added a magnesium that is timed release and that also seems to help. And, here's an article that discusses the use of B2 for migraines:
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=e###...
It's also a good idea to take a multiple B vitamin along with the B2.
Note: I'm not a doctor and you should check with a medical practitioner to make sure none of this interacts with medications - I'm just sharing what's worked for me.

If you're going to buy Excedrin... don't waste your money if the Excedrin Migraine is any different... if you will look at the packaging they have EXACTLY the same active ingriedents in them...

I have 3 different kinds of migraines... and I went to my general practitioner (but I have had an MRI inthe past when they started coming more frequently)...

I have taken different meds for different ones... The one that seems to be the most effective is a little pill that basically dissolves on your tongue... (I'll have to go look the name of it up)... Midrin...taken that and Duradrin ... and one other that I'm actually out of... but there ARE differente kinds of migraines and different meds to treat each one... DO get some kind of medication.... check the migraine website because you can try to control them through diet as well.... stopping your caffiene intake helps...

Feel better! :(

I used to have them a lot (stress related) and I used a RX that disolved on my tounge and I think it was called Maxalt. I took it only when I was getting a migraine because I didn't want to be on an everyday preventative medication. It usually worked pretty well. When I was having them back them (7 years ago) they were a little different than they are now - but still migraines!

Since having my second child they have come back in full force. I usually have one the day I start my period and some other times each month. I have found that Excedrin Migraine works wonders. However with mine, if the Excedrin doesn't work if I can make myself vomit it feels tons better.

Migraines are horrible and I don't think anyone can understand how bad they are until they've had one themselves. With mine they sometimes don't have that aura you're talking about, but sometimes they do. No matter what kind of headache you are having if the meds the PA gave you don't work (or Excedrin) you need to go see another doctor ASAP.

Hi K.! I'm not sure how much research you've done...but it has been found that the chemicals and toxins in your home have alot to do with different types of ailments. Ex: migraines, allergies, asthma, ezcema, etc. Ridding your home of products with these chemicals/toxins, can help reduce if not totally get rid of these. I'd love to share more with you...please contact me and let me know when it's convenient for you to talk and we can explore further!

Have a great day!
T.
____@____.com
http://tracyt.themomteam.com

Hi K.!

I feel your pain...literally! I have been suffering from migraine headaches for nearly 20 years now and they never get better. And we know better than anyone how much worse they get during pregnancy too! I heard that sometimes after pregnancy, women who had them regularly prior to pregnancy, will not have them after. I was so hoping to be one of those but no such luck!

If I take an OTC medicine, I take Excedrin Migraine. I have never been able to find another OTC drug that will alleviate the pain. I used to take Imitrex but my migraines became immune to several of the prescription drugs I took. I've been using Midrin for the past several years (generic form is Epidrin) and it works wonders! It might take an hour or so for the migraine to finally subside but they do go away.

My mom mentioned that products high in MSG can trigger migraines too. And of course MSG also has other names not clearly written out as MSG, they are disguised.

Good luck and I hope you can shake this one soon!

-Char

Hello, I too suffer from these kind of headaches as you have described. No fun at all. One of the other mom's on here referred to a medication that dissolves on your tongue but couldn't think of the name. I'm not sure if this is the one that she was talking about but the one that I use that dissolves on your tongue is called Maxalt. They work for me and it's much faster than taking a pill the regular way. However, they aren't inexpensive. Even with insurance it was $30 for 5. But to me it is soooo worth it. Good luck and hang in there!!

Stay away from monosodium glutenate (MSG). Its in a lot of foods in your pantry and frig, and esp at restaurants. Google "migraines MSG" and you'll find out why.